This study investigated the influence of teachers’ competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary school chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 12 secondary schools in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 principals were used in the study. A survey design was adopted for the study. Three researcher – made instruments namely School Principal Questionnaire (SPQ), Teachers Competence Questionnaire (TCQ) and Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) were used to gather data for the study. Data were analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and t-test. Results revealed that there is significant relationship between teachers’ competence and students’ academic performance in Chemistry. Chemistry students taught by qualified teachers performed significantly better than those taught by unqualified teachers. Also chemistry students taught by experienced teachers performed significantly better than those taught by inexperienced teachers. Recommendations were made on how to promote further development of science teachers in Nigeria.

KEYWORDS: influence, qualification, experience, teachers’ competence, academic performance.